“To the extent, however, that the younger generation drives the dynamics of the internet, the results provide some support for the hypothesis that English will retain its first-mover advantage on the internet. In such a case, as the youngest native French-speaking user’s age, they will continue to use the internet intensively in English”- Professor Neil Gandal, Harold Hartog School of Government and Policy, Tel Aviv University.
In the article “Native Language and Internet Usage” the conclusion of the article was that although many internet users may look at website
s, younger generations typically look at English websites, which will result in English keeping its place as the primary language on the Internet. I believe that this is a false statement. I feel that the people who speak other languages mainly use English websites simply because there is more information that is easier to find on them.
America is a prosperous nation that has developed much of today’s technology in communication. Because of this we use mainly English in much of our internet communication especially on social websites. People from other nations may use out social networks such as Facebook, but more often than not they are able to have it translated into their own native languages. This is also true for those looking into retail, such as McDonald’s. On their website you can see McDonald’s and how they differ throughout the world. The reason for these differences is that it personalizes the American franchise to appeal to the consumers of other nations. Therefore, my conclusion is that though American websites maybe more commonly used, they are not always kept Americanized. They are made into a branch of the American website that is based in the culture of the user.
References
Gandal, Neil "Native language and Internet usage"; Lang 182 (2006), p25-40, 5p. (Retrieved from ESBCO Regis University, November 17, 2009).
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